


The Jedi and Temptation's Gift

by mumblingmaria



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen, Humour, Romantic Tension, struggling with feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-10-06 05:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10327208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mumblingmaria/pseuds/mumblingmaria
Summary: When Zeb makes a shocking find in Sabine's room: a forbidden Jedi romance holobook (overwrought dialogue about the Force and irresistible temptation included!), she insists it's surprisingly good. And while Hera is willing to give it a try, and Zeb just finds the whole thing hilarious, Kanan isn't so sure about the whole thing.





	

Kanan sighed as he waited for the caf dispenser to finally give over the much-needed liquid. Exhausted from moving crates all day to Tarkintown, Kanan just wanted to enjoy a quiet evening with the rest of the crew. But the caf was taking its sweet time, pushing him further into his annoyed state. Maybe he could try and convince Hera they needed to buy a new one that actually worked. He chuckled to himself, knowing that would never happen before frowning at the dispenser. Couldn’t one thing just go smoothly today? Was that really too much to ask for? 

As if on cue, he heard Zeb come into the common area. Sabine and Hera were sitting at the dejarik table, the older of the two waiting for her own cup of caf to arrive. Looking over his shoulder through the open door of the galley, Kanan watched as Zeb held up a holobook in one hand.

“Sabine, look what I found in your room,” said he, waving the item back and forth. 

Sabine shrugged, not looking up from her sketchbook. “I don’t know,” she muttered, “the datapad I asked for?”

“Well, yeah,” Zeb said, placing the spoken of datapad on the table. The holobook remained in his hand. “But I’m talking about this.”

Kanan shook his head and turned his attention back to the caf dispenser. He was not going to get involved. He heard a faint groan from Sabine, imagining her rolling her eyes and setting her sketch aside. What he couldn’t predict was her letting out a horrified gasp.

“Where did you get that?” the girl demanded. 

Laughing, Zeb answered, “It was lying on top of the datapad. Guess you forgot to put it away.”

“Zeb, give that to me right now!” Her voice was getting louder and Kanan heard the shuffling of feet throughout the room. After a shout from Hera to “cut that out!”, the man rubbed a hand across his face before turning back to see what was happening. 

He found Sabine trying to jump up and grab the holobook from Zeb. But, being much taller than the young teenager, it was well out of her reach. Kanan walked into the room and crossed his arms.

“What’s going on here?” he asked. Hera shrugged in the background, a quizzical smile on her face. Kanan raised an eyebrow and looked between the two, who didn’t seem to hear his question. He coughed and they froze in place, the focus moving from each other to him. They looked over, Zeb grinning and Sabine frowning.

Then, a realization seemed to wash over Sabine’s face, her face turning a shade of pink Kanan had never seen on her before. She let out a strangled cry before trying to climb up the Lasat to retrieve her holobook.

A sigh escaped from Kanan as he moved closer and plucked the holobook in question from Zeb’s hand and pulled Sabine off of Zeb. Zeb snickered as it was turned on.

Kanan read for a brief moment before looking at Sabine. Hera had moved out from behind the table, her curiosity finally getting the better of her. Sabine appeared to be frozen now, a look of horror taking over her face as she stared at the holobook in the Jedi’s hands.

“Sabine…” Kanan said, glancing down at the story in his hands. “This is one of those Jedi romance stories, isn’t it?”

Hera joined Zeb in his roar of laughter. Sabine threw a pleading look at the pair but made no move to retrieve the holobook anymore. Reading further on, Kanan shook his head. “None of this would have happened. The Jedi… were pretty strict about the whole, um, romance thing,” he said as he skimmed through the text quickly. “They weren’t these romantic heroes.”

Hera, still laughing, moved next to the man to read along with him. “It’s just harmless fun,” she said. She glanced up at Kanan and shrugged. “Relax, Kanan. These forbidden romance stories are fun to fantasize about, but the readers know it’s nothing more.”

Sabine’s cheeks were now a much deeper pink. She inched towards them, watching the pair holding the holobook. 

“That said,” Hera looked up as she spoke, making eye contact with Sabine, “this isn’t very good. _The Jedi and Temptation’s Gift_? Is that really the title?” 

A groan passing her lips, Sabine grabbed the holobook and ran from the room.

 

Kanan knocked on the door to Sabine’s cabin again. There was no response and he let out a deep breath. He had been outside for a few minutes now, trying to get the girl inside to answer. Resting his forehead against the door for a second, he tried again.  


“Sabine, come on. Open up,” he called through the door. He knocked again. “It’s been a day, you can’t hide in there forever.”

“Go away, Kanan,” her voice finally answered. 

Kanan shook his head and pressed the override code for the door. Sabine was sitting at the table under her bed, arms wrapped around her raised knees. She glared up at the man as he walked in. The holobook was resting on the table. Sabine grabbed it and tucked it between her stomach and legs.

“I said go away,” she muttered.

“I know,” Kanan said with a sigh. He sat across from her and looked at her. She met his gaze with a glare. Shrugging, Kanan adjusted himself until he found comfortable position in the seat. She didn’t stop glaring. So he repeated, “I know.”

“Look, I don’t want to talk about the holobook,” Sabine stated, pulling her legs even closer against her chest.

“So we don’t talk about it.”

They sat quietly. Kanan looked around the room, he could still feel the girl’s glare on him as he did, and admired the art that had taken over the walls. He hadn’t been in her room in a while, meaning he hadn’t seen all the new paintings scattered across it. He made a mental note to come by more often to admire her work. When he started to crane his neck to look up at the ceiling, he heard Sabine shift and the sound of the holobook being placed on the table.

“I didn’t want you to know about the holobook. This was one of the only things I had once I left the Imperial Academy that had a positive spin on the Jedi. It felt magical,” she said in a hushed voice. Kanan looked back at her. She traced her finger around the edges of the holobook, her gaze fixed on it. “It was an escape from everything. It was a reminder that the Jedi were good. But then, you and Hera and Zeb found me, and it just felt weird having this romance story about a Jedi when…”

“When there was as close to a Jedi as you’ll find in front of you,” Kanan offered when she didn’t finish her sentence. She nodded and looked up at him. Sighing, Kanan said, “I really don’t have a problem with you having it, or you not ever bringing it up. It’s none of our business. I wasn’t trying to embarrass you.”

“I know that,” Sabine said, rolling her eyes. “As if you could.”

Kanan shook his head while chuckling. He leaned forward and tapped the holobook with two fingers. “So,” he said, “tell me about it.”

Sabine raised her eyebrows before smiling back at him. She turned the device on and looked through the story. “I think you’d really like the characters, despite the, I’ll admit, dated writing style. The main character is Allende Skyblade, he’s the Jedi. And now that I think about it, he sort of reminds me of you. He’s really a bit of a stick in the mud, but he’ll bend the rules occasionally.”

“You think I’m a stick in the mud?” Kanan asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Oh, we all do, but that’s not the point,” she answered, waving the interruption away. “Can I read you one of my favourite parts?”

Kanan forced himself to keep smiling. He was all for Sabine loving this story, but he did not want to read it, ever. Listening to Sabine talk about it was one thing, but her reading it… “Sure.”

“Okay, okay.” She shifted in her seat, searching for whatever piece she wanted to share. It took her a moment but then her eyes lit up. “Alright, so basically this is where Alsia, that’s the woman he falls in love with, first tells him how she feels. It’s really sweet.” 

Sabine cleared her throat and started to read, “ _Allende stood stiffly at the wall. He had never enjoyed being a bodyguard, but this had to be the worst job he had never been given. This… Alsia Sevanar… she confused his mind. It had now been a month into his mission of protecting her and he has never felt such temptation. He found it hard to focus around her. He had to force himself to constantly stay on task. But her smiles, her laugh, her teasing, her… obvious interest in him, they all made him wonder things he dared never wonder before._

“ _‘Master Skyblade,’ she said, looking up from her desk. Her eyes were sparkling, the star held so little against them._

“ _He coughed, clearing out all the thoughts he was having and replied, ‘Yes, my Lady?’_

“ _‘Oh, I’ve told you to call me Alsia. I think it’s foolish for us to be so formal with how much time we must spend together. So, if you insist on Master Skyblade, I insist on Alsia.’ she said, frowning at him._

“ _‘Yes… Alsia?’ he asked, giving into her will for more easily than he wished._

“ _She smiled and let her eyes draw across him before looking out the window. ‘Have you ever thought of all the other vows you could take?’_

“ _He frowned in turn, taking a robotic step forward. ‘What other vows?’_

“ _‘You know, vows you take with another. Vows you could take… with me.’ She met his eyes quickly and he felt as if the Force had thrown him across the room. ‘Or are you forced to see the world only through the Force?’_ ”

Kanan groaned at the last sentence, cutting the girl off. 

“What? It’s actually really clever! They play around with all the quirks of the Jedi in this, it’s really well done!” Sabine argued, holding the holobook out to him.

“Quirks of the Jedi?” Kanan’s mouth twitched as he repeated her words. 

“Well, you don’t really have those quirks,” Sabine admitted, leaning back. “You’ve surrounded yourself with people you care about.”

“That’s true,” he said, the words coming out slowly. He turned away, unsure of how he felt being reminded of the Jedi vows and belief when it came to emotional attachments. He looked back, a smile spreading across his face as he met Sabine’s eyes. Even if reminded of his training, he wouldn’t change anything about his current situation. “I’m glad I have that difference from your Jedi protagonist.”

“That’s just the thing, Kanan,” Sabine jumped on the opportunity he hadn’t realize he had given her. Her voice was filled with excitement. “I won’t read it all to you but Allende does move past those beliefs! It’s really interesting how he changes in the story!”

Shaking his head as she spoke, the would-be Jedi leaned back and let the girl go on again about the holobook more.

 

Kanan turned in slow circles in the pilot’s seat of the _Phantom_ , waiting for the diagnostic he was running to finish. It was his turn to check to make sure everything was running smoothly and, if he was being honest, he welcomed to break from the others. Sabine’s holobook had now become the topic on the _Ghost_. Which should have been fine, but Zeb had moved his teasing from Sabine to Kanan. Sabine and Hera had been more than glad to join in. So, when Hera reminded him the diagnostics needed to be run, he had jumped on the opportunity. 

He leaned over in the chair to catch a glimpse of how long was remaining of it. Just a few more minutes. Kanan sighed and readjusted. So far it looked like everything was running smoothly, nothing to prolong his time away from everyone else. 

“ _Kanan._ ” Hera’s voice flooded into the shuttle

He turned his chair to the console and turned the comm on. “I read you, Hera,” he replied, hoping she had another task for him to do now that this one was ending. 

“ _I know I can’t feel the Force like you do, sir Jedi, but I nonetheless feel as though there is a greater force drawing me to you._ ”

Kanan felt his breath catch in his throat. He stared at the console trying to find some form of language to respond in. The more coherent the better. He swallowed even though his mouth was suddenly very dry and asked, maybe too loudly, “What?”

“ _Kanan, this holobook is so funny. I asked Sabine if I could read it, you know, just to see what it was all about. That was the girl trying to flirt with the Jedi character. As if anyone actually spoke like that. No one would fall for this,_ ” she said, laughter in her voice. Kanan stayed silent; at this point he didn’t trust his voice to not betray him. After what felt like minutes of laughter, Hera continued, “ _All that said, Sabine was right about the story. It’s pretty good._ ”

“That’s great,” Kanan muttered, turning back to the display screen. The few minutes left were now dragging by until he could hide away in his cabin. Maybe he should go outside while they were still on the ground and train. It would be harder to ambush him out there…

“ _Listen to this,_ ‘Allende grabbed hold of the senator’s daughter’s waist as she tripped forward. Their eyes locked and he felt as though the galaxy was asking him to break his vows in that moment.’ _Kanan, have you ever felt that way?_ ” She laughed through her question and he knew in that moment she was doing this on purpose. She had definitely seen through his eagerness to work. 

“Hera, I really don’t want to listen you read me parts from this holobook,” he said.

“ _Okay, but just a bit more,_ ‘The girl thanked him as he righted her. She then gracefully made her way up the rest of the stairs, no doubt expecting her bodyguard to follow. He cursed himself for allowing a moment’s temptation breach his mind.’”

“Goodbye, Hera,” Kanan said, shutting off communications to the _Phantom_. 

He finished up the rest of the work on the shuttle quickly after that. He made his way slowly through the ship, hoping he wasn’t going to be surprised by anyone else in their small crew. Just make it to his room and he was safe for the day. It was getting to the end of the day, which meant it was likely everyone would be busy doing they’re own thing. This was the safest time for Kanan now.

But when he reached his cabin door, he attention was snagged by what sounded like Hera working in the cockpit. Smiling to himself, Kanan changed his mind and doubled back to the galley. Even if there was a risk to being caught off guard by Zeb or Sabine, Kanan couldn’t resist bringing Hera a cup of much needed caf.

After making two cups of caf as quickly as he could, Kanan headed back for the cockpit. Stepping inside, he found Hera leaning back in the pilot’s seat; head leaning to the side slightly. 

He nudged her shoulder gently with one of the cups and she opened her eyes, smiling up at him. “I wasn’t asleep,” she said firmly and accepted the cup from him.

“I know,” he replied, leaning on the top of her chair. He looked out the windows, enjoying the sunset painting the sky a deep orange, turning the landscape of Lothal into something from out of a holo. Kanan smiled, letting the moment sink in.

“ _‘Just once I wish you’d set aside your pompous attitude and just live with me for a moment, just once!’_ ” Hera said abruptly, her voice laced with laughter. Kanan stood up straight immediately, glaring down at her. “ _‘Master Jedi’_ ”

“Hera, if you keep this up I’m going to leave. I just want to have a quiet cup of caf before I turn in for the night,” he said, trying to keep his voice even.

“Okay, okay, I promise I’ll stop,” she answered, raising her hands in the air (one holding the holobook, the other the gifted caf). She looked up at him. For a brief moment Kanan thought that she meant it, but then she smirked. “My Jedi Knight, my saviour.”

“I’m out,” he snapped. He turned and stormed out of the cockpit, her laughter and apologies following him.

 

Over the following days, Hera had seemed to realize that they were pushing Kanan a bit too far and encouraged the other to simmer down. And so it did. Soon, it seemed to Kanan that the holobook was almost forgotten.

Things had quieted down for the crew. Between jobs and for once not in a tight spot, they could actually risk a few hours of relaxation. Kanan and Hera took this chance to actually have a meal sitting down for once, both often finding that they end up standing over work when eating or just skipping the meal in general.

They sat together in the galley, finishing up that last of their dinner. Hera had the accursed holobook out in front of her, but she didn’t share any passages from it to Kanan. She was sticking to not tormenting him anymore. He, on the other hand, was reading a datapad Hera had handed him before they had sat down. 

Kanan was just finishing up his meal when Zeb and Sabine walked in. He smiled up at them as he put the last bite into his mouth. He chewed and watched the girl move to Hera.

“What part are you at?” she asked, leaning on the table to look at the holobook.

Hera looked up and smiled. After a quick glance down to check her place, she answered, “Allende just professed his love for Alsia. It’s very romantic.” She threw a quick smirk at Kanan, who swallowed his food and looked away.

“Oh!” Sabine said, leaning over more to read what was being displayed. “That’s one of my favourite parts!”

Kanan pulled his datapad closer to him and hunched over. He wasn’t going to leave; he didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing this was still bothering him, but that didn’t mean he had to pay attention while they spoke. Might as well memorize the information Hera gave him.

A chuckle from Zeb made everyone look up though. “Kanan, Hera,” he said, grinning at the other man. “Read it out loud.”

“What?” Kanan almost shouted, his head snapping up. His eyes widened. Sabine laughed as she stood up again. “No!”

“Okay.”

Kanan’s mouth fell open at her response. Hera grinned at him and making her way over to his side of the table. She pushed him along the small bench and sat down next to him, trapping him. She was pressed right against his side as the seat wasn't made for two people to sit next to each other, not unless they knew each other well. Holding the holobook up so that they could both read it; Hera continued to grin at him. Kanan closed his mouth and started glaring down at her.

Zeb filled the spot Hera had vacated and Sabine, sporting a grin now bigger than Hera’s, leaned over the woman’s shoulder and said, “Please, Kanan?”

The man looked between the three surrounding him and sighed. Zeb gave him a knowing look (and Kanan regretted every time he ever confided in him) and Hera nudged his side with her elbow. 

Kanan looked at the holobook and sunk down. He might be caving, but he wasn’t going to be happy about.

Hera laughed and started reading aloud, in a very overdone and posh sounding voice, “ _‘Sir Jedi, please… if you ever felt anything for me, anything at all, please, I beg you to tell me! If tonight is to be our last night together, the last night I will ever get to see you… please, make it mean something. Tell me the truth.’_ ” 

Kanan continued with the Jedi’s dialogue, though, unlike Hera, there was no emotion in his voice as he read the words, “ _‘I cannot, my dear Alsia…’_ Hera, this is so stupid. Why—ow!” He was cut off by Hera’s elbow digging into his side again. He cleared his throat before continuing in the same flat voice. “ _‘My vows as a Jedi, I have already broken them too much. How I feel… It will only cause you pain. It will only lead us both to our destruction. I must go.’_ ”

Jumping in, Sabine began to read the narration while trying to contain her laughter as her did so, “ _Allende turned away just as a wave of rain washed over the two. Soaked immediately, surrounded by the warm drops of aqua coloured water, the Jedi began to lift his heavy feet to take him away from the only woman he would ever love._ Zeb, stop laughing! _But then he left her crash onto the ground behind him. Turning quickly, Allende saw her on her knees, mud seeping into the sheer and wet clothing that was clinging to her form. He watched her try, and fail, to hold in the tears he was causing her. He watched as he broke her heart._ ”

“ _‘Alsia…’_ ” Kanan forced out, keeping his eyes glued to the holobook. He could see in his peripheral that Hera was trying to make eye contact with him. His cheeks started to warm as they read on.

“ _Abandoning in that moment everything he told himself that he stood for, ignoring the years of training and beliefs, Allende sprinted back to Alsia, dropping to his knees in front of her. She looked up at him, sobs escaping from her full mouth as she met his eyes, tears gliding down her pale cheeks._ ”

Hera said while sliding a hand onto Kanan’s shoulder, “ _‘Allende._ '"

“ _It was the first time she had ever said only his name, breaking the rule they had put into place all those weeks ago,_ ’’ Sabine said, no longer looking at the holobook. She was grinning as she recited the words she had no doubt read dozens of times. “ _He grasped her face in his strong hands and crashed their lips together. This was so much more than their first kiss and it filled Allende with such energy that he had never felt before. When they broke apart, he said._ ” 

Kanan stared at the words he was going to have to read and quickly glanced at Hera. She was biting her lip, trying to keep her laughter from spilling out. He took a breath in and read, “ _‘Alsia, I love you. I’ve loved you from the moment I met you and I will love you long after I become one with the Force. If you ask it of me, I will leave the Order.’_ ” 

Hera gasped, leading Zeb to laughter again. Sabine reached over and whacked his arm. Turning to Kanan and taking one of his hands in hers, Hera said, “ _‘Allende, I… I can’t force you to do this. I might wish it, but this is your life. You are a Jedi.’_ ” 

“ _‘No. Alsia, I would rather be shunned from the Order and die a thousand deaths than never get to taste your—’_ No, I'm not doing this anymore!” Kanan said as he pulled his hand out from her hands. He did his best to stand, crouching as he started to push Hera and Sabine out of his way. “I’m not reading anymore of this.” 

Zeb was now howling with laughter. The doors to the galley opened and Chopper rolled in, bleating a question to the group about what was happening. Kanan glared around the room and it’s occupants before saying to Zeb, “I can’t believe you suggested to do that.” 

“Oh, and why’s that, love?” Hera asked, sitting back down at the table, her eyes gleaming. 

Kanan spluttered a little, trying to find something to say. He looked at Hera and knew that there was no doubt that he was blushing. He coughed and turned to face the door. He muttered about needing to go and meditate and then walked quickly out of the galley. 

Laughter followed him through the common area and into the rest of the _Ghost_. 

 

Kanan scrolled through the datapad he retrieved from the galley once he had been sure the coast was clear. He was sitting on his bed, legs kicked out in front of him. He leaned back and stared up at the bunk above him, letting out a deep sigh. He knew he overacted in the galley, he knew everyone was just trying to have fun, but… 

“Maybe I am just a stick in the mud,” he muttered to himself as he shut the datapad off. 

He heard the door to his room open and knew immediately who it was without looking. “Hera,” he said, his voice tired from the day, as he turned the datapad over in his hands, “I’m fine.”

Kanan looked up to watch her make her way across the small room and sit on the edge of the bed. She placed a hand on his knee and smiled at him. Her thumb was rubbing small circles on it, inviting him to let her in. 

“We’ll stop teasing you about this holobook,” Hera said gently. “I think we all realized we took it too far this time.” 

Shaking his head, Kanan stopped moving the datapad, looking down at his hands. “I told Sabine this already, but I really don’t have a problem with this holobook.” 

“So, then what is the problem?” Her voice was so kind. It helped ease the tension that was starting to take hold of him. Kanan focused on her thumb’s movement for a moment before answering. 

"It’s what the story represents.” He met Hera’s gaze and let out a sigh. “What it means about my life.” 

Hera chuckled. “What do you mean?” 

Kanan shrugged and looked away again. “I mean… you know the Jedi are forbidden to form strong emotional attachments. Romantic ones were more than just frowned upon. It’s just… it was weird for the reminder, especially when we… I haven’t been following those rules much lately.” 

He felt the hand on his knee squeeze gently. He let out a sigh and rubbed his face. “I don’t regret opening up to you, to all of you, and letting you in. I will never regret that. But there are times, like when a holobook romanticizes a Jedi throwing away their beliefs, that I wonder if it was the right thing.” 

Hera sat in silence, her hand still on his knee. This wasn’t the first time they had a variation of this conversation about his anxieties when it came to his relationship with being a Jedi, he was sure it wasn’t going to be the last one. He could feel her eyes on his face, studying him. Finally, Hera stood up and leaned over to him. She kissed his cheek and smiled. “No one here is complaining.” 

Kanan looked up at her, grateful for her grounding him everyday. He reached over for her hand and squeezed it. She pulled out of his hold after a moment and made her way to the door. He picked up the datapad again and turned it back on. He heard to door open but not close. Kanan turned his attention back to Hera and found her smirking in the doorway. 

“Sleep well, my Jedi Knight. May thoughts of my sweet taste linger on your mind as you drift into the world of dreams.” 

Kanan groaned. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can't tell me that there aren't YA romance novels in the Star Wars universe. You also can't tell me that Sabine would have loved them (before she got too cool for it had pretended she was above them). This story came to be from my friends and I joking about how there definitely is YA novels in Star Wars. We also discussed if Anakin and Padmé would have liked Twilight, but that's not relevant here (the answer is yes). I decided to write my friends a little thing about the Ghost Crew discovering one of those Jedi romance novels and how truly awkward for Kanan that would be. 
> 
> Also, 100% somewhere in the Star Wars universe, there's a whole series of Mandalorian/Jedi romance novels that are vaguely similar to Obi-Wan and Satine, though no one is quite sure how these books got to be so accurate.


End file.
